A MARRIED couple were yesterday handed a six day remand on suspicion of being in possession of around 500 stolen watches.
The Albanian man and his Greek wife, who live together in Pyla, stood in the dock impassively and listened as Nicosia CID Constable Christos Takoushis read out his statement to the court.
“I am currently investigating a case regarding the theft of 516 stolen watches from a warehouse in Kaimakli back on February 27, 2006. The watches reported stolen were described as being of the brands Tissot, Adidas, Catamaran and Nautilus and valued at £19,984. It appears that the culprits had broken the bars of the gate of the warehouse before picking the lock on the main warehouse door.”
The constable added that further investigations brought two suspects into light, most notably the married couple, and that a court order was issued so that the house could be searched.
“Upon searching their house, we found 462 watches matching the description of the stolen watches from the warehouse. We also found two digital cameras in the boot of his wife’s car and a professional video camera and two CD players in their bedroom.”
During questioning, the Albanian man denied stealing the watches, saying that he had bought around 400 watches off a Pontian in Limassol on March 7, 2006 for a bargain buy of £4 each. He added that he had paid the Pontian around £2,000 for the watches but did not know his name or where he lived.
“As far as the other items go which include the cameras and CD players”, said the constable “the suspect says that he bought them in Greece but that he does not have the receipts for them anymore”.
Meanwhile, the wife told officers that her husband had brought home the watches on March 8, 2006 and that she intended to send the watches to Greece as presents for her relatives. She backed up her husband’s claim that he had bought them off a Pontian in Limassol for around £2,000.
“The watches seized from their home were identified as the watches stolen from the factory back in February. However, it appears that there are still 54 watches missing,” said the constable.
He added, “We call on the court to hand a six-day remand for the suspects so that they not influence future witnesses or destroy evidence. We also request that they hand in their passports and travel documents and their names be put on the stop list.”
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